The FBI and Santa Ana police are investigating the theft of 6451 PSA-graded cards, including nearly 3000 Pokémon cards, from a FedEx truck in California.
PSA confirmed the investigation, saying the orders were stolen on 13th October from a FedEx truck after pickup at its Santa Ana facility.
The company says that “recovering every stolen item and returning it to its owner is our top priority”, and that it has given investigators video footage, shipment manifests, and item-level records.
In total, 6451 items were taken. PSA has published a list of every stolen card, including its certification number and, for serialised cards, the serial number. It deactivated the certification numbers and shared the list with marketplace sellers, auction houses, and digital commerce platforms, so the cards can’t be easily resold.
According to TheGamer, which broke down the list by category, Pokémon cards account for 2978 of the stolen items, followed by 898 One Piece cards, 880 basketball cards, 640 baseball cards, and 433 football cards. The New York Times reports that the haul is collectively worth more than $963,000.
PSA has refunded the grading fees on all affected orders, and says these refunds are separate from compensation for the cards themselves. Orders sent with a PSA return label are covered by its insurance, with payments already going out. Customers who used their own label will work with a dedicated PSA team, and those who bought through a dealer should contact them directly. Compensation is based on fair market value, up to each item’s declared maximum insured value, and customers can choose to return the item if it is recovered.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles office or Santa Ana police.
In July, Cheshire Police confirmed that brothers Keith and Shane Johnson had been caught after breaking into Celestial Collectables and stealing Pokémon cards to the value of £62,000.
